The government on Monday lifted a ban on bulk exports of certain categories of edible oils, including groundnut, sesame and soyabean, aimed at boosting farmers’ realisation.

The government on Monday lifted a ban on bulk exports of certain categories of edible oils, including groundnut, sesame and soyabean, aimed at boosting farmers’ realisation. India is a net importer of edible oils, meeting around 60-70% of its annual demand through purchases from overseas, especially palm oil. This was the reason why the government had banned the exports of edible oils in bulk. The country imported about 14.5 million tonnes of vegetable oils (both edible and non-edible) during 2015-16 oil year (November to October).

“Export of groundnut oil, sesame oil, soyabean oil and maize oil in bulk, irrespective of any pack size has been exempted from the prohibition on export of edible oil,” the Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in a notification.

So far exports of edible oils were allowed in branded consumer packs of up to 5 kg, that too in limited quantities.